1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a separable slide fastener having a top end stop mounted on the upper end thereof and a separable box-and-pin assembly on the lower end thereof which comprises a box, a box pin joined to the box, and a pin insertable into the box.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One known method of manufacturing a separable slide fastener is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 48-38390 published Nov. 16, 1973, for example. According to the disclosed method, an elongate slide fastener chain composed of a pair of intermeshing rows of helically coiled or zigzag coupling elements mounted on the respective inner longitudinal edges of slider fastener stringer tapes is continuously fed along in one longitudinal direction. While the fastener chain is being progressively fed, it is automatically processed in various successive steps including the formation of an element-free space, the attachment of a reinforcing film, the preparation of an attachment bead for a box pin and an insertable pin, the removal of beaded edges, the punching-out of a hole, the mounting of a slider, the attachment of top end stops, the attachment of the box pin and the insertable pin, the attachment of a box, and the cutting of the chain into a shorter slide fastener length.
The speed at which the slide fastener chain is to be fed along the production line is governed by the processing step which is most time-consuming since the slide fastener chain is continuously fed along in the longitudinal direction during the manufacturing process. Therefore, the efficiency of the production process cannot be increased to a sufficient level. The maintenance of various machines required to perform the manufacturing steps is relatively tedious and time-consuming.